Ghost of a Chance
by Tenukii
Summary: Captain Silver's "lost" comrade Randy has been captured by Fata Morgana. He finds an unexpected ally of sorts in the form of the poltergeist Tenukii Chaud.


"Lar, you're a jerk."

The voice was one Randy had heard before, childlike and of indeterminate gender. He had never seen its owner, however, and now the voice came from directly outside his cell.

"Silence!" _That_ roar was painfully familiar. Its owner's appearance had finally ceased to disgust Randy by now, nearly two years after his capture, but he hated Lar no less. Randy lifted his head, automatically tossing his long, limp bangs out of his eyes as he regarded the closed door a short distance from where he sat huddled on the floor.

"Silence yourself!" the other voice retorted. "What do you think you can learn from this human that you haven't gotten in all this time? He's not going to tell you anything about Project Blue- _I_ don't think he knows a thing about it!"

"Mind your own business, Tenukii," Lar growled, then he muttered, "And to think you're so polite to everyone else."

"I want to see him." The demand from the one called Tenukii startled Randy. In all his time imprisoned there on one of Fata Morgana's space stations, he had seen no one except Lar and a human who was apparently Lar's: an Italian man with good English who took great delight in carrying out Lar's increasingly imaginative (and ineffective) plans for making Randy talk.

_I can't tell them what I don't know- I've never even heard of this Project Blue,_ he thought. _And to tell them anything at all would be to betray my captain. I'd die first._

"Why?" Lar snapped in response to Tenukii. "If it's to satisfy your little human fetish, I-"

"If I had hands, I'd slap you!" squealed the other voice. "How _rude_!"

"I'm only stating facts," Lar retorted. "You convinced Pandora to hire that human Fire Master, just because you wanted his company-"

"Just because he worked for Yohmaoh _and_ the Hildroid before!" Tenukii interrupted. "He's competent- unlike _some_ people I could mention! You're simply jealous!"

_She's a girl,_ Randy thought, somehow managing a grim smile. _Has to be._

"If _that's_ what you think, you can have your humans!" Lar spat. Randy jumped at the sound of his cell door scraping open; he instinctively drew his legs closer to his body, wrapping his arms more tightly around them. He stared at the doorway as Lar was revealed inch by inch: a large black sphere, its diameter more than Randy's five feet and eleven inches. Its surface was smooth and gave off a dull reflection; Randy had never touched it, and he couldn't judge if it were hard or flesh-like, whether Lar were a machine or an organic being.

But none of that was what bothered Randy. What unnerved him was Lar's eye: a huge, single, eye that stretched completely across one side of the sphere. The iris was a deep red, and it had always seemed to follow Randy, unblinking.

Lar floated, apparently effortlessly, just outside the doorway; though there was ample space for Randy to dart out around him, Randy knew far better than to try to escape. He _had_ tried once, soon after his imprisonment began, and his back still bore a scar from the pale green laser that Lar had fired through his wide pupil.

"Here's your precious human," Lar growled at his companion. Randy watched apprehensively as the mysterious Tenukii drifted into the doorway, unceremoniously pushing past Lar.

"A ghost!" Randy breathed aloud before he could catch himself. She looked like what a child would draw as a Halloween decoration: a round shape about Lar's size and covered in white cloth. The face that peered in at him was actually cute, with shiny black eyes, heavy eyebrows, and a small, curious mouth.

"Hello, sir," Tenukii said, startling Randy with her polite tone. "Yes, I'm a ghost- a poltergeist, specifically. And you're a human?"

"Y-yes. . . ." Randy shifted his position, lowering his legs to lean forward on his knees.

"I see. Around here, it's hard to tell some times," muttered Tenukii, giving Lar a sideways glance before she floated completely into the cell. "What's your name, sir?"

"Randy," he mumbled, trying to make sense of the confusion threatening him. After almost two years of limited contact with anyone in Fata Morgana, Tenukii's sudden appearance unnerved him- especially because of her ghostly nature. _I never believed in ghosts_, Randy thought. _But then, I never believed in aliens before Fata Morgana. . . ._

"It's nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Randy," the ghost replied. "I am Tenukii Chaud, the space mercenary."

_A mercenary?_ Randy wondered. _With that innocent face?_ He only nodded at her weakly, then realized that she expected a reply. "Hello, Miss. . . Chaud." Tenukii's face lit up at his polite address, even as Lar rolled his huge eye behind her.

"How are you feeling, sir?" Tenukii chirped at him, floating a little closer.

"Tenukii, give it a rest-" Lar began, but he broke off suddenly when the ghost spun around, snarling at him with the most terrible face Randy had ever seen. Her cute, cheerful visage changed completely into a furious masculine face as she growled at Lar.

"Get out of here, Lar!" The black sphere's eye actually widened in surprise- and, Randy was delighted to see, slight fear.

"All right, all right." Lar gave a slight shudder and turned, his eye moving to face away from the cell. "But you'd better lock that door when you leave."

As Lar floated away, Tenukii turned back to Randy. He cringed, expecting to see the same hideous expression she had shown Lar- but instead, he found himself looking at the innocuous face he had seen before.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said, looking truly apologetic. "Now, how are you feeling? Is Lar treating you well?"

"U-uh, well. . . ." Randy gave her another glance then looked away, distrusting her despite her friendly attitude. _She's with Fata Morgana, no matter how cute she is,_ he reminded himself. "I'm fine," he muttered, drawing back against the wall once more.

"Hmn." Tenukii narrowed her broad eyebrows. "If Lar is mistreating you-"

"No, he. . . he only hurt me once." Randy shivered, remembering the laser.

"Once is more than enough, sir," Tenukii said primly, but then she smiled. "I'll come check on you when I can. Lar's right about one thing; I like humans. And I've known Pandora, our boss, for a lot longer than he has, so I'll make sure nothing happens to you." She did not mention the Italian who often came in Lar's stead- and it was he whom Randy truly feared, far more than he feared Lar.

Still, Randy couldn't bring himself to tell this strange creature about the human's viciousness. He only nodded and mumbled something he intended to be thanks. Tenukii gave him a rather fond look, then moved towards the doorway.

Randy watched her go, but before she reached the door, he blurted out, "Tenukii? I-I mean, Miss Chaud?"

She turned back to him, blinking her shiny eyes. "Yes, Mr. Randy?"

He tried to calm his shaky breathing. "Why am I here? What does Lar want from me?"

Tenukii's mouth turned down in a little sympathetic frown. "He wants to know about Project Blue. Who's in it, where to find them-"

"I've never even _heard_ of Project Blue!" Randy protested, rising up on his knees. "I've told him that- I've told the other human that! All I know about is the United States Air Force." He sank back, clenching his fists in his lap. "And I won't tell you anything about them. I won't betray him."

"Him?" Tenukii raised one of her prominent eyebrows. "Him who?"

"My captain," Randy mumbled, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "He was my commander and. . . my friend." Tears pressed at the back of Randy's eyes at the very thought of Silver, his captain and mentor. _He must think I'm dead by now. . . and if I can't get out of here, he'll forget me entirely. . . ._

"We aren't interested in the Air Force, sir," Tenukii said quietly, almost gently. "I'll tell Lar that you can give him no information. . . but you've seen how reasonable _he_ is." She grimaced a little, apologetically. "I'm sorry."

Randy looked up at her again, swallowing painfully. "Thank you, Tenukii."

"Mn." The poltergeist gave a slight nod of her whole body, accompanied by a faint smile, then she turned and floated out of the door. Randy lowered his head, not watching as she closed and locked the door. When Tenukii Chaud was gone, he lay down on his side, his back to the wall and knees drawn to his chest, and tried to sleep.

* * *

The End


End file.
